Gen Z may not be going out much these days, but Gen X sure is. Veterans of San Francisco’s long-running underground dance scene came out in droves this weekend for one last rave at the soon-to-close Phoenix Hotel. It was almost a role reversal: a demonstration by middle-aged ravers of what real fun used to look like.
Hundreds filled the courtyard, dancing to the sounds of DJ Sneak, a legendary figure in house music. Bubbles streamed from a bubble machine set to overdrive. Drifting in and out of their hotel rooms, people leaned over the second-story balcony, cocktails in hand, surveying the scene. It was a pool party with nobody in the pool, but the vibes were pure summer hedonism.
“The younger crowd, they don’t get these DJs like we get ’em,” said Dev Esen, a Livermore resident and self-described old-school raver who’s been coming to the Phoenix since 1993.
This was the latest iteration of Organic: Poolside, a decades-old summer bacchanal by San Francisco promoters Funky Tekno Tribe, the underground collective that helped launch the careers of 2000s stars DJ Dan, Mark Farina, and Doc Martin, as well as hosting the U.S. debut of French electronic duo Daft Punk.
Over two days, the festivities drew more than 2,000 to this former motor court turned tropical oasis, seemingly teleported from Palm Springs to the Tenderloin. The lineup was impressive, especially if you’ve been on the scene for a long time, with luminaries like Markie, Colibri, and Hector Cardenas.
For almost 40 years, the Phoenix has been a place where rock ’n’ roll royalty partied, drawn by a libertine atmosphere and proximity to venues like Great American Music Hall and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Neil Young, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers all stayed there. Legend has it that Blondie’s Debbie Harry once shared a room with John F. Kennedy Jr.
But this history wasn’t enough to keep the Phoenix going; news broke in June that the hotel is scheduled to close Jan. 1. The impending demise sent a shock wave through the underground — largely because the hotel sold for $9 million in August 2024, raising hopes that the new proprietor, San Francisco Baking Institute owner Michael Suas, was committed to its legacy. A few events can be found on the hotel’s calendar through the rest of the year, but none approach the magnitude of Organic: Poolside.
So Gen X — and Boomer — guests brought all their old-school energy. It had been a while since this reporter approached someone for an interview only to be offered cocaine instead.
Though in some ways a family reunion, the party was hardly a nostalgia-fest; these performers still tour and produce new music. DJ Rap played at Glastonbury, the U.K.’s biggest festival, this summer and has a remix with DJ Sneak coming out soon on San Francisco’s increasingly influential label Empire Records. But this was her first performance in California since before the pandemic.
Over the years, Organic: Poolside has become a “brothers-in-arms situation,” said DJ Rap, who — atypically for globe-trotting hustlers — played a set Friday night, then stuck around on Saturday.
Funky Tekno Tribe was the first promoter to bring DJ Rap to SF more than 35 years ago. So when they offered her a slot, she said yes immediately — no need to go through her agent. “It’s them throwing a party, and me going, ‘Ab-so-fucking-lutely,’” she said. “I’m 57 this year. With age, you get an appreciation for how lucky you are to be here.”
Indeed, the party in the Tenderloin was all about Gen X, particularly the Burners who have been dancing to house music since Funky Tekno Tribe’s beginnings. These are the party animals who’ve witnessed the closure of venue after venue while looking on in disbelief as alcohol-averse Gen Zers opt for libraries over bars.
It’s for these fans of underground dance music that the loss of the Phoenix will be mostly acutely felt, as it has with clubs worldwide. “It’s a global problem of this art form disappearing,” said DJ Rap, practically drowned out by the whistles and whoops in the courtyard. “It’s sad whenever anything shuts.”